A Taste of Humanity and Inhumanity
by ABitofWhimsy
Summary: Glynda Goodwitch has finally snapped. In her rage, she has learned to channel terrible forces unknown to the world. Chief amongst these dark powers is the ability to transform humans into adorable animals (it relieves stress). Expect cuteness, chaos, and a touch of cynicism.
1. The Magic of the World

**Chapter 1**

* * *

 **The Magic of the World**

* * *

"Victory! Sweet and glorious victory," trumpeted Ruby.

The dastardly team JNPR had fled before the might of team RWBY. The heroic leader of team RWBY surveyed the abattoir of destruction that marked their titanic struggle. The discarded and sundered weapons of their foes lay strewn across the battlefield. Even the landscape itself had not escaped unscathed. What had once been orderly and beautiful lay in chaos and ruin. Still, victory was theirs though the cost had been great. An elegant black-haired girl lay supine on the field of battle. Crimson stained her once pristine shirt, a testament to the treachery and ferocity of their enemy.

Also Weiss had gotten grape juice in her hair.

* * *

"Oooh, we kinda made a mess of things," Ruby opined. Her assessment of the aftermath of the Second Great RWBY-JNPR Food War seemed accurate to Blake as the faunus girl opened her eyes and sat up, magically recovered from Nora's ketchup grenade. The damage to the cafeteria had been a bit catastrophic. Food and soda from Nora's grenades decorated virtually every surface of the cafeteria. Tables, chairs, plates, and the team's makeshift weaponry lay strewn about in haphazard fashion.

Her team seemed cheerful enough following their victory. Ruby had her hands on her hips as she proudly surveyed the battlefield before her. Blake could practically see her grin through the back of her head. Weiss had somehow conjured a clean napkin to care for the juice on the end of her ponytail. The heiress had her head down, focused on the task before her. Still, Weiss seemed happy enough. After all, she wasn't biting anyone's head off like some kind of ice-hearted, hyper-articulate shark.

In fairness, it would have been difficult to get a word in edgewise anyway as Yang was shouting insults of questionable veracity at the backs of the rapidly departing members of team JNPR. Not that they didn't deserve them. Team JNPR had fled the battle rather quickly. In fact, all of Yang's shouting was masking another sound. Blake's faunus ears twitched as she focused on the peculiar noise.

 _CLICK._

 _CLICK._

Death had come for team RWBY in classy yet sexy heels.

* * *

"Cheese it," screamed the fearless leader of team RWBY as she vanished in a flurry of rose petals.

"Every woman for herself," cried Yang as she dashed towards the door team JNPR had just escaped from.

In contrast to her teammates, Weiss did her best to make utter terror look dignified and mostly succeeded. The white haired heiress vanished in a white blur leaving behind a rather lovely looking snowflake glyph in her wake.

For her part, Blake could practically feel Professor Goodwitch's snarl on the back of her neck. She reluctantly turned her head to see the blond huntress level her riding crop wand at her closest target, one Blake Belladonna. Blake sprung to her feet and dodged right leaving behind an after-image clone in the hopes of confusing the irate teacher. The faunus dashed towards her goal and watched as Ruby waved Yang and a glyph-propelled Weiss through the cafeteria doors.

"Look out Blake," cried Ruby as her silver eyes widened in fear. On instinct, Blake juked left and produced a second clone to further confuse her pursuer. Blake turned to see if her ploy had been successful and found herself staring into a pair of predatory green eyes. To make matters worse, the good witch's wand calmly tracked the terrified faunus. But worst of all, Professor Goodwitch was smiling.

I'm a clone. Really, the one to the right is real. Just you know, look over there, please...

 _MEOW!_

 _Huh?_

* * *

By nearly any measure, the scene was peculiar. In one instant, a maniacally grinning blond woman was pointing her wand at a terrified black-haired girl in obvious preparation for a terrible arcane assault. In the next instant, a disoriented black house cat appeared where the terrified girl had been.

The black cat let out a confused meow and began looking around frantically. Yellow feline eyes settled on a second, younger girl wearing a red and black gothic dress. Ruby was still clutching the door she had been holding. She stared at the confused cat with an expression that attempted to combine dumbfounded confusion, excited adoration, and utter terror. Ruby's eyes moved from the cat to the smiling Glynda. As the witch finished admiring her work, green eyes snapped up to hunt for new targets. Ruby gave a terrified squeak and vanished in a blur of rose petals.

"I suppose that will have to do for now," noted Glynda.

"Come along Ms. Belladonna," she said, scooping up the more feline than ever faunus. "I hear cats are good for relieving stress."

Professor Ozpin sighed and closed his scroll.


	2. A Taste of Humanity and Inhumanity

**Chapter 2**

* * *

 **A Taste of Humanity and Inhumanity**

* * *

Blake entered the cafeteria like a conquering queen. Lesser beings parted before her as she rode into her domain. In a fit of magnanimity worthy of her grandeur, she was willing to admit that some tiny fraction of their reverence and terror might be due to the blond woman upon whose shoulder she deigned to grace with her presence.

The blond teacher had showed the respect due to a feline of Blake's august station. After having a drink of some foul smelling brew, the woman who carried the unimportant name of Glynda had showered Blake's luscious black coat with an appropriate amount of attention as the witch stared at a screen. In addition to the certainly minor consideration that Glynda's hands knew how to properly treat her ears, Blake's feline brain was prepared to forgive any prior transgressions.

Blake carefully groomed her paw from atop her perch. After all, one must look her best even in the presence of her inferiors. Glynda's shoulder provided a splendid... and warm... vantage point from which to observe the rest of the world. At the moment, all seemed well. Blake and her comfortable shoulder perch were being treated with appropriate respect. It seemed as though her shoulder perch's presence was not required here and that the blond woman could promptly return to far more important duties, chief amongst which was lavishing Blake's coat with attention.

That said, the cafeteria was home to some potentially appetizing smells. Perhaps it would not be unreasonable to explore. After all, there was a great deal of food and some of the two legs present would certainly be willing to offer tribute and worship. Blake scanned the cafeteria for any subjects likely to provide her with sustenance. And... oh my... those ears looked positively delicious. Long, brown, furry rabbit ears with a pink center... Perhaps Blake could take just a nibble or two. Said ears were currently attached to a doe-eyed rabbit faunus with long brown hair. Nevertheless, Blake was sure that a solution could be found to that minor problem with the application of sufficient feline cunning. Now, if only her shoulder perch would walk her to her morsel.

Blake meowed lightly and flicked her tail in the appropriate direction. Her reliable mount turned and began striding forward with a regal gait, at least, for a human.

"Ah, thank you, Ms. Belladonna," said Glynda, properly acknowledging Blake's directions.

Blake licked her lips in anticipation as she rode towards her prey. Her feline tongue flicked across her teeth and her mouth opened in a lazy yawn as she greeted her treat. The ears looked long, tender and... was that a hand grabbing at her prize? A tall, armor clad boy with burnt orange hair had a hand on those scrumptious ears. He had even brought three others of lesser importance. Poachers! Simply intolerable, Blake fumed. Fortunately, her mobile shoulder perch had arrived on the scene and appeared prepared to deal with the transgressors.

"Mr. Winchester, what do you think you are doing," demanded Glynda pointing her wand menacingly.

The boy's muttered response did not appear to appease Glynda. Blake felt that the witch's snarl was more than appropriate. "Mr. Winchester, your treatment of Ms. Scarlatina is simply unacceptable. This will not continue in the future, do I make myself clear?"

Seeing that the witch had the matter of the poachers clearly in hand, Blake hopped from her perch to carry out her own vital business. While Blake had not forgotten about the rabbit faunus' spectacular ears, there were some interesting smells coming from under the table. Some two legs had been considerate enough to leave behind some intriguing morsels on the floor, mostly likely as tribute to Blake. Such scents simply demanded exploration. In addition, the table would conceal her from her final target, those delectable ears.

* * *

Terror had never looked so brave. An auburn-haired boy in imposing gray armor stood against a great and terrible foe before whom any sane individual would flee.

"Professor Goodwitch, please allow me to assu..." Cardin began.

Ah, youth! So bold. So impetuous. And now, so very feathery.

A terrified squeak came from the three other members of team CRDL as Glynda lowered her wand. The armored prospective hunter that had shielded the three against the wrath of the witch had now been replaced by empty air and one very terrified bird. Unsurprisingly, it was a cardinal albeit one with burnt orange feathers. A rather boring and imperfect transformation but what could one do?

The cardinal that was the focus of Glynda and his cowering team's attention made the belated realization that sometimes discretion was the better part of valor and dove under the nearest table. In what was either a remarkable display of team solidarity or a testament to the power of collective human stupidity, his teammates hadn't fled immediately upon their leader's disappearance. Instead, they remained petrified before the irate witch whose mood had improved from borderline homicidal to merely highly disgruntled.

"Now, I trust that such disciplinary action will be unnecessary in the future gentleman," Glynda said menacingly. Glynda did a lot of things menacingly.

She received three panicked nods in reply. Glynda continued to glare at the boys. Unfortunately, one of the boys broke the silence with a frightened moan that threatened to undercut the seriousness of the situation. Fortunately for the dignity of everyone involved, the sound was cut off by the sound of a door slamming, likely Velvet making an eminently reasonable retreat. Then, the stern silence was further destroyed by what sounded like the terrified squawking of a bird.

Sensing that further intimidation would be ineffective, Glynda turned her heel to the terrified trio after a final glare.

"Come along, Ms. Belladonna," Glynda commanded as she strode from the cafeteria.

A black cat with what looked suspiciously like ketchup on one its paws emerged from under the desk. It flowed up onto the stern blond's shoulder with liquid grace. The cat turned towards the remaining members of team CRDL and coughed, the noise short and hacking. A pair of burnt orange feathers emerged from its mouth. Eyes still locked on the terrified trio of boys, the ebony feline opened its mouth in a lazy yawn and then gave a low rowl that emphasized its pointed teeth.

Glynda ignored the unhuntsmanly squeaks behind her as the pair of feathers slowly floated to the ground.

Professor Ozpin sighed and closed his scroll.

* * *

 _ **Addendum:**_ _  
Personality change after transformation likely significant. Ms. Belladonna historically concerned for life. Would not harm another student under normal circumstances.  
Probably... It is Winchester._

 _Determinates of personality change and duration of transformation remain unclear. Likely variables: faunus heritage, target's aura level, target's aura control, and Glynda's level of annoyance._

 _ **Addendum II:**_ _  
Do not annoy Glynda without further testing._

 _ **Addendum III:**_ _  
Glynda seems to transform faunus into the animals associated with their faunus traits. Is Glynda's semblance racist? Is Glynda? Do not inquire directly, see above._


	3. The Hair of the Fox

**Chapter 3**

* * *

 **The Hair of the Fox**

* * *

Coco's first warning was the clatter of plastic cups hitting the stone path leading to the dorms. Her red-haired partner, Fox, had been carrying the red cups that were so ubiquitous at virtually any party involving young people and terrible decision-making. Team CFVY had been on their final supply run for the evening's party although Coco supposed that they had been a bit conspicuous about the entire matter. She blamed Yatsuhashi. But hey, maybe no one would notice a seven foot tall mass of very masculine muscle carrying a keg on his shoulder.

"Heya, Professor Goodwitch," Coco sighed without turning.

"You really like poofing Fox don't you? Not that I don't get it, fox-Fox, is pretty cute," Coco continued while enduring the professor's glare. Coco turned and calmly scooped up the red fox that replaced her partner of the same name. The fashionable brunette checked her nails then scratched the fox's crimson ears as if to demonstrate her point. The fox in question seemed to accept the treatment with relative aplomb and even managed a lazy yawn.

"You wanna keep Fox this time out? He's pretty hot stuff," suggested Coco, while offering Fox-squared to Professor Goodwitch without her partner's consent.

"Oh hey, you've already got a kitty. What a cutie," Coco remarked casually. The black cat in question meowed briefly as it accepted a lazy scratch from the professor. The feline actually seemed somewhat tense. The cat's tail ticked back and forth with metronomic precision and yellow eyes stared forward unblinking.

"Ms. Adel, you do realize that unsanctioned events are prohibited on campus?" Professor Goodwitch said, finally inserting herself into the conversation. The cat on her shoulder ignored the tension of the situation and smoothly prowled to the ground.

* * *

"Yup, Yatsuhashi give the nice professor the keg that's most certainly not a rather lovely confection. Maybe a professor could enjoy it entirely on her own if she were quiet about its confiscation," Coco suggested innocently.

"Good effort," replied the blond teacher. Glynda flicked her wand at the keg-toting giant. Her brow creased slightly in focus and quickly turned to a frown as her intended target didn't vanish. Instead, a brunette rabbit faunus interposed herself between Glynda and her vict... subject of very reasonable punishment. The consequences were to be expected. Where Velvet once stood appeared a rather adorable brown bunny.

A romantic might have swooned. Only love could yield such a sacrifice. And love it was. As Glynda's wand swung towards her mark, a black feline licked its lips and leapt at one of the rabbit faunus' legs with an excited cry. The surprised rabbit faunus toppled and found herself between the giant and the witch's wand. Love, simple and pure.

The stern teacher did her best to ignore the scuffle of paws on pavement. The skitter of paws was quickly drowned out by panicked squeaks and cheerful meows coming from below. Glynda sighed.

"I'll take the keg now. That's enough, Ms. Belladonna," said Glynda flicking her wand to levitate both objects to her side. Unfortunately, extracting the feline from the rabbit proved somewhat challenging. A black flurry of claws and teeth had managed to attach itself to the bunny's hindquarters and clung with frantic desperation. Luckily, there were few problems in the world that the liberal application of telekinesis and seven feet of muscle could not solve. This was not one of them although the traumatized expression on the rabbit's face suggested that it had been a near thing.

Glynda stalked away from team CFVY with her prizes floating in her wake. The blond professor ignored the plaintive mewling behind her. Tiny paws flailed uselessly as a black house cat tried to swim in midair back towards her prey with limited success.

"See, big guy, its not so bad. You've just gotta learn to roll with her. We've still got two kegs in our room, the cups, and two fewer drinking guests. We'll make do. Plus, we've got great accessories and party favors," noted Coco as she wrapped the fox's tail around her throat in a makeshift scarf. Yatsuhashi nodded and scooped up the rabbit hiding behind one of his giant legs. The bunny almost disappeared in his hand. The giant gave the bunny a quick pet, scooped up the discarded cups, and followed his leader.

The upperclassmen were learning.

Professor Ozpin sighed and closed his scroll.

* * *

 _ **Addendum:**_ _  
See Glynda regarding contraband. Ms. Adel has excellent taste._


	4. The Tiger and the Dragon

**Chapter 4:**

* * *

 **The Tiger and the Dragon**

* * *

"Hmm, team RWZY? Team ZWRY, team WRZY, oh, nothing works. Come on, a little help guys," pleaded Ruby to her remaining two teammates as they entered cafeteria.

"What about team WZYR like fuzzy wuzzier? I mean the fuzziness has got to go up whether we include the new Blake or Zwei," suggested Yang as she scratched the corgi in question.

"Great idea sis," agreed Ruby as she bounced cheerfully to her sister's side. Ruby scooped the puppy from her sister's arms and spun around with the corgi in her arms. Apparently content with its new owner, the corgi barked happily. "See Zwei agrees too! Who's a good new teammate?"

"We are not replacing Blake with your dog," said Weiss before Ruby could descend into inane puppy talk.

"Blake has a number of admirable qualities that she brings to the team: intelligence, subtlety, fighting skill... cute ears, although Zwei has those too," continued Weiss while staring at the ears in question. "What does Zwei bring to the table? Only drool..." The puppy continued to stare at Weiss with his tongue out and tail wagging cheerfully. "Cute Ears..." The dog's puppy eyes focused on the heiress. "And absolute adorableness! He won't make sarcastic comments, brood about the White Fang, or cause team drama. Who'sa cutest new member of team RWBY," she cooed as inane puppy talk won the day.

* * *

The cat on Glynda's shoulder hissed following the heiress' comment. Admittedly, the corgi in Ruby's arms was also a likely culprit.

"Why, umm... hello, a fine afternoon to you, Blake, professor," stammered Weiss. "Is there anything team RWBY can do for you?"

"Not to worry Ms. Schnee," Glynda assured the nervous heiress, "I am well aware that you were not responsible for the earlier conflict. Your teammates, on the other hand, are a different matter."

The sisters in question gulped and slid a step back.

"Umm, yes, we're sorry, things did get a bit out of hand, you know how things can get," said Ruby in a rapid jumble of words. "Uh, yes, very sorry, and, uh, you know," continued the smaller sister as she held the corgi in front of her like some kind of protective charm. "Please forgive us," pleaded Ruby while shrinking further behind the dog and doing her best to imitate said puppy's eyes.

The protective puppy charm combined with Ruby's own inherent adorableness appeared to sway Glynda. "Very well Ms. Rose, apology accepted," said the witch primly.

"Uh yeah... sorry too, prof," Yang added casually.

Lacking either a corgi or her sister's weapons-grade cuteness, the blond's casual reply was somewhat less effective. The witch's riding crop flicked to the blond and the girl vanished. The transformation took somewhat longer than average as a massive golden-scaled beast uncoiled itself from where the girl once stood. The creature was easily sixty feet long with a snake-like body and an extravagant golden mane. A casual flick of its tail flipped a pair of tables through the air and carelessly smashed another into kindling as it rose from the floor.

Fortunately, the majority of Beacon's students were rational, intelligent individuals... well, that wasn't entirely true. A non-trivial percentage of Beacon's student body were borderline sociopaths all to eager to solve any and every problem they encountered by bashing it repeatedly with whatever gun/explosive murder device their demented little brains had concocted. Still, life at Beacon had imbued the majority of its students with excellent survival instincts or barring that, at least, the ability to smell crazy. As such, the majority of students had fled upon Glynda's arrival.

"Woah, this is awesome," bellowed the beast as an enormous gout of flame emerged from its mouth and blew out one of the cafeteria windows. By this point, a well-practiced mass evacuation of the cafeteria had already begun.

"Uh, woops," the dragon roared in an almost recognizable voice.

"Enough," snarled Glynda. The witch snapped her wand up instants before the dragon's head smashed through a flagpole and the creature transformed once more, this time into a screaming blond who promptly fell thirty feet to the floor.

"Do it again! Do it again," cheered Yang as she leaped back to her feet and bounced in front of Glynda.

"Wow sis, that was awesome," squealed Ruby. The bouncing proved to be contagious and soon both sisters were hopping up and down, the activity naturally drawing the eye of the few remaining students who lacked either the common sense or survival instincts to flee the cafeteria.

Glynda sighed, "I'll deal with you both later. Oh, take care of Ms. Belladonna would you. Cats aren't as relaxing as I'd hoped."

* * *

Blake was grumpy. She'd been deprived of her prey by a being that ought to have listened to her. The witch had been moderately accommodating, providing Blake with the appropriate amount of petting, food, warmth, and some amount of amusement. But perhaps, it had too much to expect of a human. And this latest outrage was simp...

She was jolted from her feline meditations as she was unceremoniously flung towards a very familiar mass of blond hair. Blake found herself in the blond's arms. The girl was a friend, a partner, Yang... Blake recalled. She would treat Blake right, even if the girl did have a peculiar fondness for the fuzzy, drooling enemy. In fact, the adoring attention of three humans rather than one might even be advantageous.

Yang's arms were pleasantly warm, a fitting place for a being of Blake's elegance. Strong fingers massaged Blake's coat and snaked a path across Blake's fur. Out of the corner of her eye, Blake noticed Ruby leaning towards her wearing expression of undisguised joy and curiosity. More to the point, her leader was completely ignoring the beast in her arms. The world as it should be.

Blake gave a low purr as Yang's delicious fingers traced careless patterns around her ears. Yet, such perfection was a delicate and fragile thing.

"So cute," Yang and Ruby squealed in sisterly unison.

Blake accepted her team's natural human reactions. Unfortunately, Yang had stopped her petting in order to wrap Blake in a tight hug. It was warm and not entirely unpleasant but meant that her partner had stopped her proper role of lavishing Blake's coat with attention. Still, Blake supposed she could accept a moment or two of distraction from her partner so long as the human resumed her proper role quickly. Still enough was enough. Coats didn't pet themselves.

Instead, the blond's hug grew tighter.

 _Release me, human!_

The sound came out as a muted mew as the mighty blond continued to squeeze.

 _Ruby, help!_

 _Weiss?_

The world faded to black.

* * *

"Aww... poor thing, I think she went to sleep."

Professor Ozpin signed and closed his scroll.

* * *

 _ **Addendum:**_ _  
Corgi's semblance may include some form of mind control. Previous observations suggested enhanced durability and immunity to flame. Conversion of thermal energy into increased durability/aura? A more general effect is also possible. Perhaps he drains the intellect of surrounding creatures and coverts it into enhanced toughness. Also has anyone considered the possibility that the corgi was Glynda's first victim?  
_

 _ **Addendum II:  
**_ _Ms. Xiao Long added to list. Increased combat power greater than average after transformation. Worthy avenue of study. Further experimentation should be conducted away from populated areas, including Beacon. Property damage, problematic._

 _ **Addendum III:  
**_ _Father may also be suitable candidate. Bait and provocation necessary. Forever Fall suitable?_


	5. Songs of the Morning

**Chapter 5:**

* * *

 **Songs of the Morning**

* * *

Alive. He was alive. Despite being weakened and abandoned, he had survived. He had escaped his great cage and survived the monster of shadow. He had emerged into the light, wounded but triumphant.

His injuries were severe. Burnt orange plumage that should have been majestic and elegant lay in tatters. It had been lost by fang and claw to the beast of darkness. The power of flight that was his birthright had almost been robbed from him. Nonetheless, he was alive. Alive and free.

He was still a bit hazy regarding the events that had led a majestic cardinal such as himself to flee under a wooden table. Still, there had been sustenance present; however, before he could indulge, he had been set upon by the beast, a titanic creature of shadow and fury. As he had tried to take to the skies, an enormous paw had smote him to the earth. Then, in a furious pounce, the beast struck. The creature's terrible fangs ripped the very feathers from his back. Still, he had endured and after he let out a defiant squawk, the dread beast departed.

He had nursed his wounds and found a few morsels to eat. However, escape had proven difficult. After a time, the earthbound humans had departed and the lights had grown dark. With their departure, the humans closed many of the exits. Yet, they had left great holes in the walls of their eating place. But, no matter how he struggled, he had been repelled by an invisible barrier that covered each of the holes. Still, he finally had finally gained the measure of the human's tricks and with the coming of dawn, the earthbound giants opened one of the smaller exits through which he had been able to escape.

He needed to return to his nest. While his flock had abandoned him, he could still recall its location. He just had to climb to the structure's roof and fly down. Unfortunately, his wounds transformed what should have been a simple flight into an arduous challenge. He was currently resting on a window sill in preparation for his next flight. Still, he was almost there.

But, what was that? A brilliant shade of silken red. Lush, shining, and gorgeous. Perhaps even a match for his own noble plumage. The glorious hair splayed carelessly across alabaster skin before disappearing against a silken crimson nightgown. Smooth and powerful arms tightened as the dreaming redhead hugged a golden pillow. Silk strained slightly as the sleeping girl nuzzled the pillow with a pleased mummer of contentment.

Perfection.

* * *

Perfection broken.

Terrible noise. Rapid motion.

The world faded to black.

* * *

Morning.

And morning without a hyperactive Nora. A rare treat. At the present, the energetic girl was cheerfully drooling into her pillow. Ren stretched as he regarded the remainder of his still dozing team. Like Nora, Jaune appeared dead to the world. Dead and drooling, another similarity. In contrast, Pyrrha managed to maintain a certain level of dignity while asleep. Were it not for the gold pillow she was currently cuddling, she could have been a picture from a painting, a vision for poets to write of or bards to sing of. In short, an image to tempt a lesser man.

In point of fact, someone or something might already have been tempted. A cardinal with somewhat disheveled orange plumage was peering at his red-haired teammate through the open window. Ren didn't like the look of the creature. There had been rumors of a perverted huntsman with the ability to transform into an avian form. Perhaps this was the creature in question? It could also be one of Professor Goodwitch's transformed students using the opportunity to peep. Though from the rumors Ren had heard of the transformation process, the transformed often lacked human biological desires.

Ren focused on the creature more closely. Whatever the case, it was looking or perhaps leering a bit too intelligently at his teammate. The cardinal even had its chest puffed out as though the creature was about to burst into song. Ren smoothly rose to close the window and avert that tragedy.

He was interrupted by the blare of the team's alarm clock. His team reacted predictably to loud noise and potential danger. Nora kept sleeping. Jaune tumbled out of the bed with a loud crash. Pyrrha reacted to the possible threat with precision and deadly efficiency. The red-headed champion activated her semblance and promptly flung the alarm out the window. The offending alarm vanished in a squawk and puff of feathers as it fell to the ground below.

Ren's eyes narrowed. Had she sensed the bird's evil intent even in sleep? Was she simply tired after a long day?

Pyrrha breathily murmured, "Jaune, get back to bed." The girl nuzzled her pillow and promptly went back to sleep.

* * *

An alarm clock flew from the window and crashed to the ground below. Not an usual day at Beacon.

Professor Ozpin signed and closed his scroll.

* * *

 _ **Addendum:**_ _  
Ms. Nikos' habit of accidentally destroying machines is bound to get her into trouble someday._

 _ **Addendum II:**_ _  
Experiment with the greater dragon failed. Subject successfully lured to Forever Fall; however, provocation may have been excessive. Letter to Glynda may have been overly... saucy. Subject suffered severe injuries after being flung through multiple trees. Further experimentation delayed until subject recovers._


	6. Love and Betrayal

**Chapter 6:**

* * *

 **Love and Betrayal**

* * *

Blake was cold. Lines of warmth left by an affectionate teammate's fingers remained but it wasn't enough. Blake was cold.

Blake refused to open her eyes in protest. Maybe she could just go back to sleep. Unfortunately, she had been left on the floor by one of her careless teammates. Probably Yang. After all, why not add animal cruelty to animal asphyxiation? The girl was the warmest member of team RWBY, not that Blake had made careful body-heat calculations. Her partner probably didn't understand that other people had more refined temperature requirements.

She meowed experimentally. Maybe one of her teammates would care for her properly. After all, humans were gullible creatures. Instead, something licked her nose. She opened her eyes in panic and found herself eye to eye with a corgi.

The corgi barked happily. Naturally, Blake attempted to eviscerate him. A claw struck with blinding speed, carefully aimed at the canine's vulnerable nose. The blow was quick, precise, efficient, and clanked uselessly against the corgi's aura. The corgi barked happily.

Blake ran. A sickeningly cheerful corgi followed in her wake. Still, avoiding the beast would be a trivial matter. She merely needed to leap up to her bed. It was doubtful that the beast with its stubby legs could manage such a leap. And even if it could, surely the creature knew better than to intrude upon Blake's territory. Muscles coiled as Blake leapt from the floor and landed with casual grace. Blake stretched and lazily flicked her tail, dismissing the creature below her.

Having dealt with matters beneath her feline dignity, Blake could return to far more pressing concerns such as finding a proper location to nap. Ah, splendid! An indentation on her sheets, one of her three servants had sat and warmed a place on her bed for her. Yang would be ideal for this sort of thing. For all of her partner's faults, she really had a perfect...

 _Woof._

The cheerful yap came from an airborne corgi. Blake watched as the beast sailed through the air and landed clumsily on her bed. The creature then turned to her, its tail wagging happily. Of course the beast was happy. It was on her bed, ruining her precious sanctuary. Such behavior ought to be punished. Unfortunately, evisceration was off the table. Still, Blake was certain that her feline superiority could deal with this problem.

Blake ran. Perhaps she could outsmart the beast. She darted under the bed to confuse the creature then made a dash for the other side of the room. Her ploy was only partially successful. The corgi tumbled to the floor, righted itself, and took off in hot pursuit. Her trick had bought her a few precious seconds. Still, she was certain a solution could be found to her corgi problem.

Ah, perfect, Weiss! Her white haired teammate was staring carefully at a book and muttering to herself. Working on some human problem no doubt. Still, this was exactly what Blake needed. While the girl could be rude, humorless, short-tempered, curt, condescending, whiny, utterly infuriating, and generally bitchy, she had a few positive qualities. First, the girl had an undeserved but almost feline air of pretension. More relevantly, the heiress was also a prim and proper lady. Surely, she wouldn't tolerate such wanton behavior from the beast.

Blake jumped onto Weiss' bed and dashed behind the heiress. Just as Blake had planned, the corgi followed. Now all Weiss had to do was grab the corgi and Blake's victory would be complete.

* * *

Weiss kept reading.

How dare... Well, Blake should have known better than to expect help from the heiress. No time to worry about it now, there was a corgi to defeat. Blake pondered for a moment as she dashed across Weiss' bed.

Then she saw it. Ruby's blanket had slipped partially off her bed. She unsheathed her claws, leapt, and scrambled up the blanket. And with that, victory was hers. A simple matter really. Maybe the corgi would bother Weiss instead. It would serve the ice-hearted ingrate right. Still, to the victor should go the spoils. She hopped onto Ruby's chest and meowed at the girl to begin worshiping her.

Unlike the remainder of her team, Ruby understood her proper place in the world. Delicate fingers traced long lines across Blake's fur as the girl's other hand scratched the underside of Blake's chin. Blake snuggled into the girl's pleasantly warm chest as Ruby's fingers continued their lazy trek across Blake's fur. Why hadn't Blake thought of this sooner? While Ruby might be a bit naive, the girl was affectionate, gentle, and kind. Moreover, like any civilized creature, she also had an obvious appreciation for soft fur and feline majesty.

Blake shifted slightly against the girl's chest to properly prepare herself for her well-deserved pampering. In a gesture of feline magnanimity **,** she allowed herself a low purr to properly reward her pillow's dutiful service. In response, her pillow let out a high pitched squeal and before Blake could react, the girl's arms wrapped Blake in a hug.

Blake was nearly certain this had happened before. Still, things would be different this time around. Unlike Yang, Ruby was a sweet, gentle girl. Besides there was no way a petite girl like Ruby could match her sister's bone-crushing strength. It wasn't as if the two were related or that the tiny girl could somehow wield a ginormous sniper-scythe...

Feline claws scratched furiously at her attacker's chest. In response to this ferocious assault, the girl giggled and nuzzled Blake's head as her arms constricted further.

The world faded to black.


	7. Animal Magnetism

**Chapter 7:**

* * *

 **Animal Magnetism**

* * *

Blake's head hurt. Why did her head hurt? She wasn't in an uncomfortable position. In point of fact, she was nestled against something warm, soft, and... breathing!?

Blake jerked up from her drowsy stupor and found herself face to face with a sleeping Ruby Rose. Blake gave a panicked gasp. It came out as an equally panicked meow.

 _Wait... Oh..._

It all came crashing back. Blake glanced down reluctantly and saw what she expected to see, a very black, very feline paw.

She let out a very human sigh and collapsed against Ruby's chest to properly order her thoughts. It was as good a place as any to think. Besides, it was also surprisingly warm. And soft. And its wasn't as if Ruby would mind. She shifted slightly in search of a proper position for her meditations.

The fog surrounding her mind was mostly gone. Things were still a bit hazy but she had a grasp of the essentials of the situation, most notably the fact that she was a cat. And all thanks to that stuck-up, riding-crop loving...itch. Still, she was obviously returning to normal. It was a bit peculiar that she had regained her intellect without regaining her physical form though. From the rumors she'd heard, the majority of students naturally returned to their original mental and physical states simultaneously. Still, the rumor mill also generally implied that the transformations usually lasted somewhat longer. Maybe the rumors were wrong or she'd gotten lucky. Her personal characteristics might also be having an effect. In addition to being a faunus, which might be a critical variable in itself, her aura probably had a strong natural memory of her original form. After all, her semblance involved the creation of clones of herself. It would stand to reason that her aura would return her body to its natural state far more quickly than average.

The possibility bore serious consideration. Still, she felt as if she were missing something... Oh well, it probably wasn't important. All this thinking made her head hurt anyway. She nuzzled Ruby's chest to reward herself for her diligence and stretched to find the perfect position for more thinking. Well... maybe after a short nap.

* * *

She'd figured it out. Probably, at least. Maybe. All she had to do was to force her aura to make a clone of her original body. But, instead of having the clone be a different entity, she would have to overlay it upon herself. It was a simple idea in principle but difficult to execute in practice. If not for her experience making clones, the task would have been nearly impossible. As matters stood, it would still be a challenge even with time to practice. It would require intense focus and concentration with utterly no distractions. And that was the problem. Given the presence of two overly affectionate sisters and their corgi, distractions were virtually inevitable and came with a high probability of asphyxiation.

How had the corgi survived the affections of those two anyway? Perhaps the corgi's insane durability and immunity to flame were simple survival mechanisms developed to ensure that the beast somehow survived being in a home with the two sisters. She sincerely hoped that the corgi wasn't simply the sole survivor of a Darwinian line of less fortunate or less durable pets.

Still, her hyper-affectionate obstacles were naive and somewhat gullible. She could probably get away with it if she simply found a quiet, private place to transform. Nevertheless, she had to be careful. Her plan would likely expend a considerable amount of her aura and might set back her natural recovery if she failed. The risk was worth it though. She liked oxygen as much as the next kitty after all.

* * *

The girl sleeping beneath Blake stirred. A groan from the other set of bunk-beds implied that Yang was also waking up from her afternoon nap and wasn't happy about it. Blake didn't sympathize. Why were they napping anyway? Was throttling felines really such hard work? Whatever the case, the sisters were waking up. It was time to move or risk strangulation.

Blake hopped from the bed to the bookshelf ignoring Ruby's sleepy murmur of protest as she departed. She steeled herself then leapt to the floor. As expected, the corgi currently resting on her bed responded. The trespasser's somewhat cute ears perked up as the corgi scrambled to its stubby feet. The corgi jumped to the floor and the chase was on.

Blake darted past Weiss' legs and under the girl's bed with a corgi in hot pursuit. The heiress reacted as any longtime roommate of Ruby and Yang would have to screaming chaos and completely ignored the world around her. As Blake had planned, the closet door was still partially open and the corgi was in nearly perfect position. She dashed towards the door with a corgi following in her wake. Just before she crashed into the door, Blake turned abruptly and slipped inside while leaving a feline clone in her wake. Safely inside the closet, Blake waited to see if her plan had succeeded. She was rewarded with the delightfully loud thump of a corgi slamming headlong into a door. The door, propelled by the power of the corgi's stupidity, slammed shut.

At last, Blake was alone. She listened for a few moments to ensure that her teammates weren't reacting to her disappearance. Nothing. Even the mutt was quiet. Maybe he'd knocked himself out from the impact although that was probably wishful thinking on her part. Blake listened for a few more moments. Still nothing. Things seemed safe enough. Blake let out a half breath and began to focus her aura.

* * *

She had it. Mostly anyway. She was pretty sure that she had the basic technique down at least. Her practice attempts hadn't used all that much energy but she'd probably need to expend a lot of aura for the real attempt. She just needed a bit more testing to refine her technique and then she could try it for real. There was no rush. There hadn't been any obvious signs that the sisters had noticed her disappearance. At the moment, it sounded like the girls were playing with their corgi. A perfect example of multiple problems solving one another.

A gentle knock came from the main door. A second and third knock confirmed that it was coming from the team's front door, not the closet door. Someone, probably Weiss, rose and opened the door.

"Hello again, is Blake still a cat?" asked Pyrrha. "I would love to see her."

Weiss paused a moment before answering. Its ok Weiss, you can tell her. In fact, meeting Pyrrha wouldn't be bad at all. The girl was kind, polite, and dignified. Powerful yet elegant. She could put her attempts to transform on hold for a while in exchange for some richly deserved attention. She could see it now, strong, graceful fingers running across ebony fur. _Purrha._

"I'm here too," shouted Nora, "where's the kitty?"

She had to change back. _Now._

Blake began to focus her aura. She could only hope that it would take some time before they managed to find her.

"She's hiding in the closet," said Weiss calmly.

Why would you tell her? Did she have any idea what Nora would do to an innocent feline like herself? Ruby and Yang were bad enough but Nora was Nora. Still, this could be salvaged. Maybe the girl would get distracted by the sisters or their incorrigible pet.

Blake redoubled her efforts. She was wasting aura by the buckets but it didn't matter with Nora fast approaching. Anything was better than that. It was hard to figure out what was going outside. All she could hear was the sound of a barking corgi, hopefully that was a good sign.

She was close now. She was mostly in her normal faunus form although as she'd feared from prior testing she'd retained her feline tail. She just had to maintain her natural form for a bit longer and eliminate the tail. Her clothes were missing but that didn't matter. Once she'd permanently broken the enchantment, she figured her clothes would come back as well. That's what had happened with Yang in the cafeteria. Besides, she was in a closet anyway. She could just find something to wear. She nearly had it. She just needed to hold her concentration a bit longer and the changes would become permanent.

 _Focus._

 _Focus._

The door flew open.

"Oooh, naked kitty," shouted Nora.

 _Nope!_

* * *

Blake was a cat again and everyone was staring at her except Ruby but only because Weiss had a hand over her eyes. Weiss looked the most normal aside from her attempts to shield her partner's innocence. Pyrrha had a hand over her mouth and looked a bit redder than usual. Yang's pupils were dilated and a small smile graced her face. Nora looked like Nora as happy and bubbly as ever.

"Oooh, kitty," repeated Nora with the same enthusiasm and cheer.

The ginger-haired valkyrie scooped up Blake before she could dodge and wrapped her in a hug. Blake wasn't sure what was worse, the fact that she was a cat again, her current Nora-related predicament, or her embarrassment.

Nora began to squeeze.

Just end it already.

The world faded to black.


	8. When Animals Attack

**Chapter 8:**

* * *

 **When Animals Attack**

* * *

Blake awoke in warmth and softness, just as any feline deserved. She was a cat again and a pleasant fog had settled over her mind. Not that there was anything wrong with that. She didn't have to worry about any human problems like class or homework. Instead, as any member of her superior species, she could enjoy the finer things in life. She nuzzled the pillow she was currently resting on and gave a contented purr. Still, she was a bit hungry. Perhaps she should get up and order one of her servants to feed her. Well, maybe just a few more minutes...

She awoke to a brilliant flash then another. What infernal sorcery was this? She opened her eyes to a third flash. Though dazzled, she identified the source, one of the strange, tiny and noisy devices that the humans carried everywhere and seemed perpetually focused upon. Scrolls? Was that the human name for them? She didn't know why they bothered. Surely there were other, far more interesting forms of entertainment available. After all, who was she to deny the pleasure of her fine coat to others? She meowed irritably, ordering the human causing that incessant flashing to stop and maybe to get her something to eat. Unfortunately, the human in question, one Weiss Schnee, ignored her authority, giggled and made her scroll flash again.

Intolerable. It was far too early to put up with such nonsense. Well, at least Weiss was better than the two sisters. After all, disobedience was preferable to a fetish for feline asphyxiation. Where were the two sisters anyway? They didn't seem to be around and the room was blessedly missing a corgi as well. Maybe they'd taken the beast for a walk. For whatever reason, the creature couldn't entertain or walk itself, further proof of feline superiority.

Weiss giggled again as the scroll in her hand flashed. What was so amusing anyway? Blake groggily rose from the bed. Refined creatures such as herself were not meant to be awakened so suddenly. The motion was more difficult than usual. It felt as if she were tangled in something yet her bed seemed neatly made. Blake meowed grumpily.

"Oh, aren't you adorable," Weiss cooed as she flipped her scroll around and pushed the object towards Blake.

The image on the scroll was obviously a picture of her; however, the image of her wore what looked to be a miniature version of Weiss' current outfit. Blake stretched and twisted her neck to check. She shouldn't have bothered. Even as she shifted, it was obvious that some twisted soul had dressed her while she slept. The most likely suspect giggled and snapped another picture. Blake narrowed her eyes to shield herself from the flash. Enough was enough. What other indignities would her so-called teammates put her through? It was time to assert her feline superiority and punish the humans for their insolence. Still, she would give them one final chance. Blake hissed at Weiss ordering the girl to take off the offending garment. Rather than accepting her final chance at mercy, the girl smiled and took a final picture.

So be it then. Blake focused her feline fury and struck. She swiped a paw at Weiss and barred her teeth in satisfaction as four pink energy arcs flashed from her claws to strike the heiress. In the face of her terrible wrath, her target chortled, "look at them. They're so pink, tiny, and adorable. Maybe I can get a picture."

The girl's reaction wasn't entirely unsurprising. After all, Blake had been trying to be merciful. It wouldn't do to permanently injure one of her servants after all. Still, a lesson was clearly in order. She began to focus her energy again. The technique had seemed far more effective when she was in faunus form. Perhaps she had simply held back a bit too much. She swung again, releasing her energy in a mighty attack.

A brilliant flash blinded her as she struck. Clearly a last ditch effort at defense by the human. Her attacks struck the girl's side. Her target laughed, "stop Blake, that tickles. Oh, I wonder if the picture came out."

Clearly direct action would be ineffective. Still, she had other means to make her displeasure known. While the giggling human was distracted with her scroll, Blake hopped atop the bookcase between to her team's beds and walked over to a white cup that Weiss used to hold her school supplies. Blake placed her paw on the cup and looked the heiress in the eye.

"Do it and you're bedroom slippers," Weiss threatened.

Blake innocently pushed the cup. It tragically fell to the floor spilling school supplies across the carpet. Weiss hissed in fury. Blake meowed innocently at Weiss and moved to a binder perched atop the shelf. Weiss took a half step towards Blake. It was such a shame that the motion surprised Blake and caused her to push the binder from the shelf. Blake watched as papers scattered everywhere. It wasn't Blake's fault. She'd had a tense day and was easily startled.

Blake moved to the next binder on the shelf and watched patiently as Weiss dug around in her purse. Maybe the girl was searching for tribute to Blake to apologize for her wrongs. It could also be typical Weiss behavior. She liked organizing things after all. Maybe Blake should wait to see if an apology was forthcoming. On the other hand, pushing things off the shelf was surprisingly satisfying. What was a feline to do?

She nudged her paw forward. Maybe just one more. In response, Weiss drew forth the object she was searching for, a miniature spray bottle. The girl aimed the bottle at Blake and fired. Blake hissed as her fine coat was showered with water and reflexively jerked away from her attacker. Unacceptable. She would have vengeance. Blake leaped forward to push the binder off the shelf but was driven back by a second carefully time squirt. Blake hissed again and was rewarded with a third squirt almost directly into her open mouth. Clearly retreat was in order.

Blake ran. She leapt from the bookshelf and hurled towards the door. Her foolish human servants had left it open and ripe for her escape. She dodged around Weiss who proved wise enough to allow her departure with only simple "humph" albeit a particularly pretentious one. The human obviously did not want to risk Blake's further wrath. Instead, the girl immediately moved to reorganize the chaos she had created after provoking an innocent feline.

Seeing that the human would not bar her way, Blake flicked her tail up and strolled out the door. Leaving seemed appropriate in any event. It was obvious that her teammates had no idea how to treat a refined creature such as herself. Surely there were other servants who could properly appreciate her finer qualities. It wouldn't exactly be hard to find superior servants to a trio of animal abusing teammates.

Who should she pick for her next subjects? Team JNPR was obviously out thanks to the presence of a Nora. A pity really as the remainder of the team would otherwise be splendid servants. Pyrrha's kindness, competence, and graceful yet powerful fingers would make the girl a fine subject. Ren was more difficult to read. But, given that he doted on Nora, Blake was certain that he could be persuaded to properly care for a superior creature such as herself. In fact, his powerful elegance might make him an ideal manservant. Finally, Jaune was at the very least gullible enough to fall prey to her manipulations. Unfortunately, the existence of a hyper-active feline throttling ginger ruled out the JNPR option.

Perhaps she should just look around instead. After all, there was little reason to choose her new servant hastily. She was hungry anyway. Surely some of the students wandering Beacon would offer her tasty tributes and worship. Maybe she could find that delectable looking rabbit around. Her tongue flicked across her lips. It was time to hunt and explore.

Well, she had one thing to do first.

* * *

An ebony feline adorned in an alabaster dress haughtily strolled across the academy grounds. The elegantly attired creature found a secluded nook in the drooping shade of one of Beacon's towers. The feline carefully shifted its head left and right in a stately survey of its surroundings. Seeing that all was well, the fashionable feline paused for a delicate sniff to properly take in the air. The regal creature gave an imperious nod.

The cat unsheathed its claws and promptly eviscerated the dress.

The cat emerged from the secluded alcove with its head held high as ruined strips of white fabric floated to earth behind it.

Professor Ozpin sighed and closed his scroll.


End file.
